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Many people who talk to Carole and me about the changes they want to make in their lives see Internet Marketing as the route out from the current rut they're in. We can understand that. For many would-be Internet Marketers, a key attraction to starting a career online is that fact they'll no longer have to answer to a boss. They feel, if only they could get rid of him or her, they'd be free to soar and reach the heights.
What they most often fail to recognize about their current employment position, though, is that along with the boss, there most often comes a whole support structure - colleagues to share problems with, company structures and procedures to follow that it's been someone else's responsibility to devise, priorities that have been established by the company, product development, sales, marketing and accounts departments all charged with carrying out their own specific duties - and at the end of the month (in most cases, anyway) the relative certainty of a pay cheque.
So, along with the boss you're so desperate to fire, you'll be throwing out some pretty cool stuff, too. Now, please don't think I'm trying to put you off setting out on your own! Far from it. I know I'd find it very difficult ever to go and work for someone else having tasted the freedom of having our own business - but some of that cool stuff certainly has its attractions.
If you are serious about making it in Internet Marketing, you need to start to replace the support structure you benefitted from in corporate life with a structure of your own making. It's likely, at least in the early stages, that you will be your own product development, sales, marketing and accounts departments and you will certainly be responsible for establishing your business's procedures - but you WILL need a support system.
This can take several forms. Make use of the Social Media to seek out others in the same field and get to know them; discuss issues you have and ask if they've had to deal with them in the past and how they overcame them. You may also want to look at specialist forums - these can be a real wealth of information. They can also develop into pity-parties, too, so beware. If the posts are all negative and full of doom and gloom, get out of there quickly!
You may decide to put all this on a more formal footing and find a mentor. A mentor will take time out to listen to what you're trying to achieve, understand where you're at with your project, get to know your levels of skills and knowledge, answer any questions you may have and suggest ways you can develop your business and yourself. What a mentor won't do, though, is do it all for you - and you don't want him or her to. It's your business; while your mentor may want it to succeed, you need it to; so it's your responsibility to get things done. And your mentor, if he or she is any good, will hold you accountable each time you meet and check your progress since your last meeting.
Another excellent support mechanism is the Master Mind Group. If there is not one already in your neighbourhood, form one. All you need is a group of like-minded people, no more than 6 in number, and somewhere to meet. The group has one purpose, the advancement of the business of each of its members. The members need not work in similar fields; in fact, it's often an advantage if they do not, as they can bring fresh insight untarnished by prejudices formed by familiarity. A great format for the meeting is for each member to be allocated a 15 minute slot, during which they can introduce or remind the other members as necessary of their business, report on progress since the last meeting, outline the goals they have set themselves prior to the next meeting and detail any concerns or problems they may be experiencing or expect to experience along the way. The other members should then devote up to 30 minutes (that's why you need to limit the number of members) focussing on and discussing the issues raised and applying their own experience to formulating a strategy for overcoming those difficulties. Once that is done, it's the next member's turn to give their 15 minute presentation.
The Master Mind Group helps in two key ways; first, it's a great discussion forum where problems can be aired freely and just as freely be resolved. Second, each member is held accountable by the group for following through on what was agreed at the meeting. While I've already said, one of the joys of being an Internet Marketers is being able to sack the boss - sooner or later, you'll miss having someone to report your successes to and tell your problems - the Master Mind Group can fill that gap in a better way than any boss ever could!
Ivan Eyre spent thirty years pursuing a typical career path, when a series of events led him to suspect there must be more to life. So he and his wife, Carole, decided to see if there was. The answer was a resounding YES!
Ivan and Carole now show others how they can have the life they want if they just make the decision to go out and get it. To get your free report and 21-day video programme, just visit http://www.facebook.com/YourNewFutureStartsHere.
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